Fast Food Nation opens with an introduction into the history of fast food restaurants. Schlosser tells us how fast food restaurants began to join the mainstream following the Second World War. He points out that the post-war era was ideal for the growth of the industry. Americas economy was still strguggling and people were looking for a cheap and quick meal to get on with their jobs. The automobile was becoming cheaper and more efficient.

According to Schlosser, McDonald?s is buys the most amount of beef than any other company in the world. The demand for fast food companies largest supplies has changed the way many businesses operate, especially the meat industry. The once thriving meat markets in Chicago and New York received all their product from independent butchers and farmers, that is until fast food rolled around. The standardized and mass-production business of the fast food industry has wiped out the independent farmer or bucher. Fast food has cleared the way for large monopolized meat packing businesses to spet in and handle all of the business. The fast food industry alone had enough power in the ?70?s and ?80?s to nearly put a large occupation completely out of service. According to Mary Long, a writer for the United Press, In 1970, America's top four meatpacking operations slaughtered 21 percent of cattle in the United States. Today, that figure has jumped to 84 percent. Schlosser has also proven that the meat industry has become much less safe since the arrival of fast food. This affects even the upper class community who enjoy fine steak and wine. Even the choice steak has been subject to more contamination because of the mass-production needed to provide the fast food industry with its products.

The convenient fast food industry comes with a sacrifice though. The time, cost, and taste all come with consequences. The fast food industry is a sacrifice. We get food so fast and so cheap, but at the same time we are giving up quality. The quality by which the food is produced, cooked, and served is all lowered because of its convenience to us. One example of the sacrifice we make when eating fast food is the health. Schlosser claims, "If you look at the rise of the obesity rate in the United States, it's grown pretty much in step with the rise in fast-food consumption. Obesity is now the second largest cause of death in America after smoking.? If you also look at the ever-growing serving sizes of fast food, the same picture can be painted. As Americans get bigger, they want more food. A Big Mac, Super-size fries, and a large coke at McDonald's now packs 1,500 calories, about 40% from

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